Fire-escape



(No Model.) l 2 sheets-#shew -1. M. SHIRES 8v J. Q. A. KENNEDY'.

PIRE ESCAPE.

No. 374,633; y t Patente-d 00; 13,v 1887.

? .fi/Umzuege NV PETERS, Pholmljlhgmpher. Wilhinall. D. C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M SHIRES 81.- J. Q. A. KENNEDY.

` HRB ESGAPE.

No. 374,633. Patented 1390.13.1887.

(No Model.)

ffl.

Jill

@mi/14000@ I' me/M1050 @gm www.

y in the sides of the rounds.

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE..

-MICHAEL SHIEES AND JOHN QUINOY ADAMS KENNEDY, OF CENTRE HALL,

PENNSYLVANIA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374.633, dated December 13, 1987.

Application filed August 27, 1887. ScriaLNo. 248,067. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that we, MICHAEL SHIREs and JOHN QUINCYADAMS KENNEDY, citizens of the United States, residing at Centre Hall, in the county of Centre and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which" the following' is ya specification. l

Our invention relates to improvements in fire-escapes; and it consists in a certain novel construction and arrangement of parts for service, fully set forth hereinafter,and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of our device attached to a house. Fig. 2 is a detail View of the device detached. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view with the case closed. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the' joint between the rounds and th-e wires. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the rounds. f

Referring by letter to the drawings, A des ignates a case secured to the side of the house under the window, having a hinged lid, B, adapted to close over the case and exclude the rain and dust. Y l

C designates a cylinder or drum journaled in the ends of the case and adapted to be removed at will therefrom, and the said drum is provided on one side with a series of ho'oks, c c, for a purpose hereinafter explained. There is also a series of hooks, D D, on the side of the house directly under the window and above the case A, to which hooks is secured the upper end of the ladder.

G designates the ladder, comprising the suspendingwires H,which consist of two or more strands twisted together, and the rounds I,

provided with notches on the opposite'gsides at the points where the suspending-wires cross them. `The strands of the suspending-wires are separated at intervals and the rounds passed through the loops thus formed, the said strands being secured inthe notches formed It will now be readily seen that when weight is put upon theladder the strain upon the suspending-wires will only tend to hold the rounds more tightly in place, and there will be no chance for the same to slip.

K designates rings secured to each end of the ladder, which are adapted to be engaged The manner of operating the hre escape is i as follows: Oneend of the ladder, which we will designate L, is attached to the house by means of the rings and hooks, and the other end,M, is attached to the roller or drum. When the' occupant of the room desiresto descend to the ground, he lifts the said drum, around which the ladder is wound, from its bearings and throws it down toward the ground. The

weight of the cylinder is sufficient-to carry the lower end ofthe ladder down as far as possible. The occupant of the room now descends in the ordinary manner. In case the house does not entirely burn down and it is desired to return the escape to its case, the cylinderis removed from the lower end of theladder and replaced in its bearings in the case, and the upper end of the ladder, L, is engaged thereto,

while the lower end, lVI, still hangs to theaccomplishment.'

This fire-escape will be found very convenient and efcient. While not in use it is safely stored in the case, and when desired for use it is readily thrown from its case,and it immediately drops into its operative position. As it is ordinarilyinclosed in the case, it will not serve as -a means of entrance to thieves, who might take advantage of the ladder were it normally extended to the ground.

The ladder being metallic,and consequently elastic, is Very liable to cause the drum or cylinder to revolve and partly unroll the ladder, and to prevent this we arrange a cleat or bracket, N, on the inner side of the case at one end, and secure apin,O, in a socket in the end of the said drum, so as to engage the said bracket and prevent the turningof the cyling IOO cylinderV attached to the lower end of the ladder in the operative position is to carry the ladder down properly and stretch it, aud also to prevent the lower end of the ladder from engaging in projections or irregular surfaces.

Having thus described our invention, we claim- 1. In a fire escape, the combination,with the case A, having bearings in the ends, and the hooks D D above the said case, of the cylinder or drum C,journaled in the bearings in the case and having the hooks c c on the side thereof, and the ladder G, comprising the suspending wires or ropes H and the rounds I, secured thereto and having the rings K secured to each end thereof, the rings at one end of the ladder being adapted to be engaged over the hooks D and the rings at the other end over the hooks c, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. Ina ljeescape, the combination,with the case secured to the side of the house, of the cylinder or drum journaled therein and the tlcxible ladder G, adapted to be wound on the drum,with one end secured removably thereto and ,the other end secured removably to the house, the positions of said ends being reversi. ble at will, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a fire-escape, the combinati,on,with the case A and the hooks D D above the same, of

the cylinder j ournaled in the case and having hooks c c on one side, andthe ladder G, having hooks or rings K K on the opposite ends to engage with the hooks D and c, respectively, the said ladder comprising the suspendingwiresH H,consisting of strands of wire twisted together, and' the rounds I I, provided in op posite sides with notches, the strands of the wire being adapted to be separated, the rounds placed in the loops thus formed, and the strands engaged in the said notches, all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose specified. l

4. In a fire-escape, the combination of the case A, having the bracket or cleat thereon at the end, the cylinder or drum journaled in the case and having a socket in the end, the ladder secured to and adapted to he y reeled on the drum, and the piu O, adapted to be secured in the said socket and engage the bracket to prevent the drum from turning when the ladder is reeled thereon, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto atlixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

MICHAEL SHIRES. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS KENNEDY. Witnesses:

CHARLES W. BOLLINGER, G. W. BUsHMAN. 

